National Day Of Clay

OK, so I'm sitting here in my gallery with nothing much to do, waiting and hoping for somebody - ANYBODY - to come in the door, so I started thinking. Dangerous, huh?

What if we could start a National Day of Clay, and it could be a day where all the potters (or at least a lot) across the country would open their studios and galleries and welcome visitors, to show people what we do. It would be a way to introduce people to our art form (and to us) and show them the benefits of buying and using our pottery. It could be promoted online with a web site where you could type in your zip code and it would tell you where the potters are within a certain radius of your home. Individual potters could promote it in their towns, maybe newspaper stories, or something with the chamber of commerce, or whatever, and it could grow bigger and bigger and bigger every year. Maybe we could get supporters like NCECA and Ceramics Monthly, or suppliers to help promote it. It could be as big a deal as the potters want it to be. Some might want to make it a party, some might want a low-key classy affair. Some might want to invite people to try their hand on the wheel, some might want to schedule a kiln opening for that day, or have door prizes or a drawing for some pottery, some might want to invite school children, who knows what we could think of to do. But it could be the same time every year, so people could look forward to it. Some potters might want to make a commemerative mug or tile to sell for each year's Day of Clay, and people could collect them. Universities and high schools could be involved. Museums maybe.

Some places, like North Carolina, really promote pottery, so it would be less important there, but I live in a very small town, in a economically depressed area, so any kind of promotion would be helpful. I'm not good a self promotion, but I do enjoy group promotion. Of course, we could all do something like this individually, but it would be more fun if it were part of a huge deal. Strength in numbers and all that.

That sounds like a great idea ... and you might have the time to organize it!! : - )
Seriously, it does sound great but it's a heavy piano to move.

I remember at the turn of the Century ( ugh, doesn't that sound OLD !! ) Clayart potters around the world agreed to fire their kilns that night so they would still be burning at midnight wherever they were. It was fun to be outside in the cold, firing a kiln knowing that all over the world others were doing the very same thing. It would be great if clay day could feel like that.

That sounds like a great idea ... and you might have the time to organize it!! : - ) Seriously, it does sound great but it's a heavy piano to move.

I remember at the turn of the Century ( ugh, doesn't that sound OLD !! ) Clayart potters around the world agreed to fire their kilns that night so they would still be burning at midnight wherever they were. It was fun to be outside in the cold, firing a kiln knowing that all over the world others were doing the very same thing. It would be great if clay day could feel like that.

Chris;I was firing my buddy Remo's wood kiln that very night that the Millenium turned. I thought I would have a team of woodfirers with me, but no one showed up for their shift, so I fired it by myself for 6 hours until someone relieved me. Drank some sake when I was finished. I still have a few pots from that firing-not because they didn't sell, just keeping them for the memories. I didn't feel abandoned. I knew what I was doing.Tom

BOO HISS to those who didn't show up! :- ) ... But you definitely were not alone out there in the cold.

As to pottery day it would have to be during the school year leaving enough time for teachers to do organize participation.
How about the doldrums days of February? A month that is supposed to be short but goes on and on forever.

February sounds good, since there's nothing else going on. Bad time for craft fairs and stuff like that. Hopefully people won't be knee deep in snow of in the middle of an ice storm.

Or would it be better to have it later when people could be outside, maybe doing raku demos or something? I could go either way.

As to pottery day it would have to be during the school year leaving enough time for teachers to do organize participation.How about the doldrums days of February? A month that is supposed to be short but goes on and on forever.

It is a great thing .... my daughter and I involved our studio in the 2011 event. It is sponsored by the magazine, but they do include your studio details and brief description of your event (Open Studio/Workshops etc) for free on the internet with an option to be included in the Craft and Design Month edition of the magazine itself for a small fee .... or a much larger one for more space. We went for the free option (!!) and, although they weren't exactly beating down the doors to get in, we did have quite a few visitors to our open studio weekend who were "doing the rounds" of the events in our area. We managed some sales too and actually enjoyed the whole experience. We laid on wine, soft drinks and nibbles and had pieces on display at various stages of completion to give a feel of our processes - yes .... it was good. Of course, America is Much Bigger - but as a principle, our Craft and Design Month certainly worked for us

The idea of having National Clay Day during a warmer time of year is good but also having it a couple of weeks before a gift giving holiday such as Mother's day would be better. The artists could put up little signs next to a vases or something that say 'great Mother's Day gift'. Maybe we can get customers to start thinking about giving art on many gift giving occasions, start a new hot trend. The shop locally owned stores events have been doing well here does anyone know how they got that started? Denice

I like the idea of doing it before Mother's Day. The weather should be warmer, and schools should be just about at the end of the semester, so they could show off their student work.

I had exactly ZERO customers on small business Saturday, but I have had a few people who mentioned that their families were doing all hand made locally gifts this year. In our little town that means my shop, cause there isn't anything else.

The idea of having National Clay Day during a warmer time of year is good but also having it a couple of weeks before a gift giving holiday such as Mother's day would be better. The artists could put up little signs next to a vases or something that say 'great Mother's Day gift'. Maybe we can get customers to start thinking about giving art on many gift giving occasions, start a new hot trend. The shop locally owned stores events have been doing well here does anyone know how they got that started? Denice